Why does my cat bite me?

Feline aggressiveness is a very common problem in cat ethology and many cat owners do not know how to handle it. 

There are different occasions when our cats can be aggressive and we need to understand each one of them. 

Aggressive playing

It is very common, especially in case of premature cats, that, lacking their mother to manage these often rough games, they may unintentionally overdo it with biting or even with their hind legs. We recommend not playing with your hands, because when the cat is older, it is more likely to play with your limbs and may even hurt you or even keep you awake at night because it keeps biting your feet or hands. 

Fishing rods for cats are one of the most recommended toys to play with our feline friends, along with providing them with an environmental enrichment, such as climbing structures or a daily 15-minute minimum session to satisfy their instincts. 

Aggression due to unwanted petting

All too often, when we are petting our cats, they will suddenly bite us. Apparently they seemed quite relaxed, but we must pay attention to their body language, which is very important in these cases, as we may think that they are calm and have suddenly gone insane or that we don't understand them. 

There are cats that love an endless amount of petting, but there are many others that don't and that little nibble can be a warning to stop petting them in a particular area or in general. The parts they usually like best are the cheeks or the top of the head, while some cats don't tolerate it on their bellies and will attack.

We recommend short petting sessions so that they don't get to the point of biting. It is also important to bear in mind that we should never scold them, as they may associate petting with something negative. 

Aggressiveness out of fear

If our cat bites us hard, it is probably because he is afraid due to some trauma or previous negative experience. In this case, pay attention to his deep meowing, ruffled fur, snorting, growling, ears back, body posture, etc. 

If a cat hides when it sees us, it means that it is afraid of us for some reason, so what we need to do is to work on that fear by positivizing those interactions with treats. How? Each time we appear in the distance, we will throw him a treat. If it doesn't accept it (doesn't eat it) it's because we are standing too close, so we must move a little further away and throw it another treat. Gradually, as the days go by, we will get closer and closer, focusing on how well those treats are accepted, showing us whether we are too close or whether we can get a little closer. 

We must never scold them for biting us, as they may become even more afraid of us, and we must never force them to leave. We must provide them access to food, a litter box and water in a quiet place where no one can disturb them, perhaps a room where there is no noise.

Alba Serrano, canine and feline psychologist and Master in Clinical Ethology from the UAB,  @enlamentedelosanimales.